Ueno Zoo lunch. The taste is average and the price is high, but it's a restaurant inside the zoo so it's to be expected. It's nice that they have udon. It's convenient for families with children. They also serve jelly and potatoes, so nutrition-wise it's a bit lacking. There is seating on the second floor, and although it's crowded, the capacity is decent. They also have chairs for children. [Tabelog rating criteria] ☆3.5 Would like to visit again if there is an opportunity ☆3.6-3.7 Would definitely like to go again ☆3.8-3.9 Definitely want to go again ☆4.0- Wonderful restaurant. Want to visit regularly I decide based on my personal judgment considering taste, atmosphere, service, menu, cost performance, etc.

Ate at a restaurant inside Ueno Zoo. Ordered and picked up the food, then sat at a preferred table to eat. Had yakitori bowl for 880 yen, vegetable miso soup for 100 yen, panda steamed bun for 500 yen, and shaved ice for 320 yen, totaling 1800 yen. The taste was average. The atmosphere was clean and open. You can enjoy your meal while watching the monkeys in the nearby monkey mountain.

It's so crowded here. Ueno Zoo is occasionally free to enter, and today happens to be one of those days. There's a long line just to get into the zoo. Even inside, it's packed with people. It seems like more people came to see other people than the animals. All I can see of the elephants are their sleeping butts. I took a break at a café inside the zoo. Surprisingly, the fries were thick like KFC's. I kept the kids quiet with some shaved ice. It feels nice this time of year. Thanks for the meal.

On holidays, Ueno Zoo, along with Ueno Park, becomes very crowded and has evolved over the years. It has become so beautiful that it is hard to recall memories from childhood. The "Saruman" dessert is made with red bean paste and custard. As for star ratings: ★3 or lower - not mentioned, ★3 to ★3.4 - unlikely to revisit, ★3.5 to ★3.9 - recommended, ★4 to ★4.4 - highly recommended, would like to revisit, would go out of my way to visit, ★4.5 and above - definitely revisit, top rank.

Restaurant located inside Ueno Zoo. Visited around 11:30 on a holiday. Baby strollers are allowed, and there are diaper changing tables and nursing rooms on both the first and second floors. It's recommended to secure a seat before ordering food. Since it was a holiday at the zoo, it was very crowded, but luckily a nearby customer finished their meal so we were able to secure a seat quickly. The line to order food was a 30-minute wait. Menu items included: Hamburg Donburi (1000 yen), Yuba Ankake Donburi (880 yen), Kids Udon Lunch (720 yen), Vegetable Dashi Soup (100 yen), Panda Dango (270 yen).

At the Ueno Zoo East Park, there is a restaurant called "Saruyama Kitchen." When I visited during the cherry blossom season and the day when baby gorillas were first introduced to the public, it was extremely crowded. I waited in line for over 30 minutes to place my order. I ordered a kids' lunch, nugget and potato set, and pork belly rice bowl. The restaurant has two floors with plenty of seating, and there are also many benches and tables outside. Despite the crowds, you can usually find a place to sit if you wait a bit. I always forget until I go, but it seems that outside food is allowed in the zoo, as many people were eating their packed lunches or rice balls that they bought outside.

I arrived at Ueno Zoo. The original purpose of coming to Tokyo was for the WBC. However, since I was already here, I decided to also see Tokyo's pandas. It's been decades since I last visited Tokyo! I used to come every year, but at some point, I started thinking, "If I have time and money to go to Tokyo, I'd rather go to Korea!" Of course, due to the coronavirus, I couldn't go. From Haneda to Ueno. I arrived around 11 o'clock, I think. I hadn't had breakfast, so I was really hungry! It was a bit early, but first things first - food! While walking, I found a cafe-like building. We were planning to eat near the panda exhibit, but this place seems fine. As the name suggests, it's located next to the monkey mountain. There were quite a few people lining up, but when I peeked inside, many tables were empty. Maybe they have few staff, or they are slow? Perhaps many people are getting takeout? The menu includes rice bowls and udon, but there are no zoo-themed dishes. The only thing close was udon with panda-shaped kamaboko. My daughter ordered the Beef Udon for 920 yen. I chose the Soy Meat Soboro Don for 880 yen. Eating animals at the zoo, well, that's something else! The prices are a bit high, but that's expected in such a place. Order and pay at the counter. There are only two order counters, so you have to wait there until your order is ready. The interior is bright, with fake bamboo plants everywhere. There was also a second floor. Pandas were everywhere, as expected. It was like a panda paradise! In comparison, there were so many pandas around Ueno Station, unlike Shirahama. I tried soy meat a long time ago, and it was not tasty back then. But this time, it was delicious. No soy smell, no guilt. There was just an unusually large amount of cabbage in the dish. Even though it was a weekday, there were many families with young children and tourists from overseas. Maybe it's spring break? There were also many young people. After filling our stomachs, we finally felt relaxed. Now we can patiently wait in line to see the pandas. It's an 80-minute wait, but it's better than Universal Studios!

On February 24, 2023, both my friend and I visited Ueno Zoo for the first time in a while. We started by visiting the panda enclosure in the morning and took an early break at this place. We entered at 11:00 AM and found that about 70% of the seats were already taken. There was hand sanitizer at the entrance, no temperature checks, and the indoor ventilation was not very clear as the doors were not open. There were partitions at the counter and tables, but it was unclear how different the seating arrangement was from normal. We ordered and paid on the first floor, then took our seats on the second floor while enjoying the view of the monkey mountain. We ordered Datte Chicken Nuggets and Potatoes for 700 yen, Bamboo Panda Buns for 450 yen, Cola for 270 yen, and Apple Juice for 300 yen. The nuggets and potatoes were average, but it was nice to have ketchup and mustard on the side. The Bamboo Panda Buns were also just okay. The view was nice, and we were able to relax during our break. Overall, we were satisfied and full. Thank you for the meal.

You can take out at the restaurant in the zoo. They have menu items related to animals like pandas and elephants, which kids would love. The prices may seem a bit high, but it includes a donation for the animals, so I think it's worth it. I just wish the taste was a bit better. If the weather is nice, you can eat outdoors while watching the monkeys, which is fun.

"Kenchin udon with a side of elephant family tumbler custard pudding. The new rest area is very clean. The kenchin udon is as delicious as always. Got the elephant family tumbler to go. The pudding is already broken. The elephants are cute, but I wanted the panda mug instead."

At Ueno Zoo, a popular place to take a break is Saruyama Kitchen. As the name suggests, it is a restaurant near Saruyama, and from the counter seats on the second floor, you can see Saruyama. It was a hot day, so I ordered soft serve ice cream (350 yen). The rich taste of vanilla was good. The cone was crispy, just the way I like it.

On the afternoon of the day when I stayed up talking with my daughter until nearly 3 am, my husband and I had plans to go on an anniversary tour. We decided to go ahead with it since staying at home would just make us feel more down. Despite being very sleepy, my husband had been woken up early by the cat so he hadn't really slept much. He ended up lying down for about 5 minutes at a table in Ueno Zoo. When our daughter was little, we used to visit the zoo as a family and it was nice back then. I remembered seeing the gorillas at Ueno Zoo while pushing our daughter in a stroller. We couldn't see the pandas this time because of the advance lottery system, but the other animals were cute. It had been a while since I last saw giraffes and elephants, but they were adorable. The gorillas were the cutest and really helped me relax. We took a break at Saruyama Kitchen inside the zoo. Even though they didn't have draft beer on the menu, I saw a sign outside mentioning it, so I went to the order counter and found out they had it as an add-on. I wonder if they serve draft beer depending on the day? We had two glasses of draft beer and also ordered a panda-shaped meat bun, which was so cute that I almost didn't want to eat it. It was quite hot too. We also had chicken nuggets with fried potatoes, which were satisfying and delicious, as well as a charcoal-grilled chicken rice bowl that came with miso soup and pickles. It was surprisingly tasty with a strong charcoal flavor. There were disposable utensils like spoons, forks, and chopsticks available. The panda meat bun container and the paper it came in were also panda-themed, which was a nice touch. We enjoyed our meal on the second floor where the air conditioning was working well, overlooking Saruyama. It was very soothing to eat by the window next to my husband and watch the monkeys. It was a great way to relax and unwind with a beer in hand. I highly recommend visiting the zoo when you need to de-stress. It was a great experience to enjoy a meal and unwind with my husband.

I was lucky enough to win a chance to see the twin panda cubs, so I went to Ueno Zoo. Last time I won a ticket for one person, but couldn't get in due to the long line at the Saruyama Kitchen. This time, it was Sunday afternoon around 3:30, so I was able to get in. The cafe had a limited edition twin panda cub almond jelly dessert (with an original tumbler to take home), which was my main reason for coming as a panda lover. The twin panda almond jelly dessert is quite pricey at 1000 yen, but considering that you get a cute tumbler with panda illustrations, I was satisfied. There is a handwashing area inside the cafe, so you can wash the tumbler after finishing your dessert and take it home clean. (I realized later at home that the tumbler and the plastic container inside can be separated, so you don't need to wash the tumbler if you remove the plastic container after finishing the dessert.) Additionally, the cafe has a restroom, making it convenient for families with small children to take a break and use the facilities all at once when visiting Ueno Zoo. In addition to the almond jelly dessert, we only ordered soft serve ice cream and iced tea, but there are also cute kids' menu items like kids' curry lunch and kids' udon lunch that I think children would enjoy. Of course, there are adult menu options as well (such as wagyu hamburger bento, rice bowls, and udon). Furthermore, the cafe continuously plays adorable videos of the twin panda cubs, which was a nice touch.

I won a lottery to see the pandas at Ueno Zoo. I decided to try the panda bun (400 yen) at the dining area near the monkey mountain. It was quite crowded, but that's to be expected. The panda bun was wrapped in paper with a panda drawing, similar to a hamburger. I sat at a table in front of the monkey mountain, and when I opened the bun, everyone couldn't help but cheer at the cute panda design. It felt a bit sad to eat something so cute, but you gotta take a bite from the face, right? The taste was okay, but the cuteness made it all worth it. The pandas were so adorable.

Located near the monkey mountain within Ueno Zoo, this restaurant also serves as a free rest area. They offer a variety of food options such as rice bowls, udon noodles, fried foods like french fries, and sweets inspired by pandas. I tried some zoo-themed items: - Panda Dango: Small but filling rice dumplings made for pandas by the keepers. - Saruman: A large pancake filled with red bean paste and custard. - Custard Pudding: A panda-themed pudding served with a mug for takeout. - Panda Man: A meat bun filled with bamboo shoots. All the items were cute and had a decent taste. It was a fun way to experience the zoo atmosphere through food. Many people were enjoying regular meals and snacks, but I recommend trying the zoo-inspired dishes as well!

On a regular Wednesday at 15:40, the customer who entered the restaurant found it not too crowded. It was their first time at Ueno Zoo, so they decided to try the Bamboo Shoot-filled Panda Bun for ¥400 including tax. It wasn't particularly delicious, but it was cute. They enjoyed the meal. The online payment for the admission ticket and entrance fee was convenient and easy.

Restaurant located in Ueno Zoo. Due to the pandemic, other restaurants in the park were closed, so this was the only one open. I arrived just before 11:30 thinking it might get crowded. Tables started filling up quickly, but there were always some empty seats, even during lunchtime. Since it was autumn, I ate at an outdoor table overlooking the monkey hill, but it might be cold in winter. [Chicken Yakitori Bowl] 750 yen Large chunks of meat, jelly-like sauce, lots of green onions. I felt the sauce was a bit lacking. Rice with plenty of yakitori sauce is delicious, right? I was hoping for more sauce. The miso soup had hardly any ingredients, but having it with the bowl was comforting. It felt like a casual restaurant in the zoo. There are benches and tables everywhere, so it's also nice to buy a bento at Ueno Station and have it for lunch.

This is still a new and beautiful restaurant. It's perfect for a break. The braised pork belly is tender and delicious, but a bit on the expensive side, while the grilled chicken rice bowl is reasonably priced. The second floor has high ceilings and was empty, so I recommend it. It's a good idea to secure a seat before ordering. The restroom is also clean and convenient.

On the second day of our Tokyo trip, we also visited Ueno Zoo. Since the reopening after the closure due to COVID-19, it has been operating on a reservation-only basis, and the early time slots quickly fill up. Chibitsunu said, "We reserved tickets for 11 am today." Upon entering, everyone passes by the panda enclosure where Shan Shan is. Photography of Shan Shan is prohibited to avoid crowding. At least let's take a photo in front of the panda enclosure. Chibitsunu said, "Shan Shan can only be seen once a day, so this is it..." We moved from the East Zone's panda enclosure to the West Zone. Here is the newly opened "Panda Forest" on the 8th of this month. Shan Shan's parents, Li Li and Shin Shin, live here. Chibitsunu said, "Unfortunately, photography of the parents is also not allowed..." Panda Forest is a facility that replicates the habitat of giant pandas in Sichuan Province, China. Shan Shan can only be seen once while walking, but it was nice to be able to see the parents slowly. We bought panda goods at the shop in the West Zone. Chibitsunu said, "I found a cute umbrella." We started to get hungry, so we returned to the East Zone to have lunch. We arrived at the Monkey Mountain in the East Zone. Surprisingly, the Monkey Mountain, which is familiar in zoos, was first built at Ueno Zoo in 1931. There are many monkeys on the mountain. Is the one at the highest point the boss monkey? Monkeys are so interesting to watch, you never get tired of them. I saw a monkey being groomed. Chibitsunu said, "All the monkeys look fluffy and warm." Then, we came to the newly built "Saruyama Kitchen" in front of the Monkey Mountain. It opened on February 26, 2020. It is a two-story restaurant with a free rest area, offering Japanese-style bento boxes and bowls. You can see the Monkey Mountain from your seat. It is a self-service style, where you reserve a seat first, order and pay at the counter, and then sit down. Chibitsunu said, "Chibitsunu will sit in the seat with Shan Shan's illustration." I actually wanted to eat on the second floor, but only the first floor was open on that day. Chibitsunu had a 100% beef hamburger bento with Japanese-style grated sauce for 1,100 yen. It was quite luxurious with various side dishes, miso soup, and pickles. Chibitsunu said, "The hamburger was delicious." I had bamboo shoot and meat udon for 866 yen. The nori with Shan Shan's illustration is cute. The udon was delicious too. After the meal, I had a cafe latte for 280 yen. Chibitsunu had a Sloth Sundae for 550 yen. Chibitsunu said, "I wanted to eat this~" The head of the sloth is made of purple sweet potato ice cream and chocolate, the mouth is sweet potato, and the chest is matcha ice cream daifuku, accompanied by shiratama and red beans. Chibitsunu said, "The sloth is skillfully recreated." So, we left Ueno Zoo. The rain had completely stopped by now. I hope that next time we come to Ueno, we will be able to take photos of Shan Shan and the others. It's uncertain how many more times we can come before Shan Shan goes to China, but I want to visit Ueno as many times as possible. After buying souvenirs at Ueno Station, we went to the restaurant that Chibitsunu wanted for dinner... to be continued.【Temporary closure, viewing methods from June 23 to October 4 after the reopening】After the reopening of Ueno Zoo, it has become a reservation-only basis, requiring advance reservation of tickets to limit the number of visitors per day. Shan Shan is prohibited from being photographed to avoid crowding. After entering the zoo, everyone must proceed to the panda enclosure, and Shan Shan can only be viewed once per person per day. (※From October 5, the viewing method has changed, and photography is now allowed)【Note】The operating status may change due to the impact of COVID-19.

I visited the newly renovated area next to the monorail station at the main Ueno Zoo. There is no background music. I ordered a "Meji Monaka." It is a vanilla ice cream sandwich with just the skin of the tuna. It was a normal tasting vanilla ice cream, and I couldn't really taste any hint of seawater as claimed.